


Have a little faith in me, part 2

by perpetuumclausus



Series: Matt x Harriet drabbles [3]
Category: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Genre: F/M, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-10 22:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18416726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perpetuumclausus/pseuds/perpetuumclausus





	Have a little faith in me, part 2

Jordan McDeere's expression shouldn't have surprised Harriet. "Wait, what are you trying to say?" The blonde paused, giving her sweater another tug. "Harriet?" The blonde shook her head only once, avoiding Jordan's gaze. "It's possible that I've really screwed up," she finally admitted, biting her bottom lip harshly. "Who? - I mean, sorry. That's really none of my business," the dark-haired woman added, exhaling softly. "So, how did you know?" Harriet repeated, hoping the pressure against her bottom lip would prevent her from crying. "My period was late, I had a lot of nausea, and some very sore boobs," Jordan explained, meeting Harriet's eyes again. "And I took a test. Have you taken a test yet?"

Sending Tom into CVS to get a pregnancy test had decidedly been the safest option. Who would pay attention to his purchases, especially that kind of purchase? Harriet took the test and walked back into her dressing room, setting the stick on the vanity. "How long?" the blonde asked, her hands shaking as she slid on her pants. "A few minutes. How late are you?" Jordan asked. "I - I don't know. Maybe two weeks?" Harriet tried to remember. "Is it normal to be shaky?" she asked, leaning against the wall. "Maybe you should take a seat, I passed out during my pregnancy."

Part of Harriet wished she could've gone to Matt with the revelation in the first place, even the mere idea that she could have their baby growing inside of her made her want to attach herself to him for the rest of her life. She remained strong - not just out of pride, but for her own sanity. Matt wouldn't even acknowledge her in a hallway, how would he have reacted to "I think I'm pregnant"? Sure, Harriet could've beaten herself up for lack of birth control - but she hadn't planned on sleeping with just anyone and all the times she'd slept with Matt post-breakup he'd always been successful at not knocking her up.

\- - -

"I can't!"

"You have to."

"I can't."

"Harriet, you have to!"

"Hello ladies," Matt greeted, stepping to the side. Harriet avoided his gaze, crossing her arms quickly. "Hi Matt, would you excuse us?" Jordan asked, tugging the blonde away by her arm. "And just how long do you plan on hiding this? What are you going to do? You have options if you go early enough, Harriet." Harriet gave her dark-haired friend the dirtiest look she could muster. "I'm sorry," Harry said instantaneously. "Judge not lest ye be judged," she muttered to herself, causing Jordan to roll her eyes. "Harriet, think about it. Even if you don't believe in terminating, you need to be taking the vitamins and taking care of yourself," she pointed out. "Because your body isn't your own now - and even though you try to hide it, I know that test came out positive and I know why you wear those big sweaters. You can't hide from this forever."

Jordan's words echoed through Harriet's mind. Simon found out after walking in on Harriet while changing. The sweaters wouldn't work for much longer. During this time, it hadn't taken very long for Simon and Tom to accidentally spread the rumor about Harriet's mystery condition. Everyone tried to shield the rumors from Matt. When Matt eventually confronted Danny about the cast and crew's secretive whispers and Harriet's peculiar behavior (even peculiar for Harriet) - Danny had told him a simple, "you really need to talk to Harriet yourself".

That conversation led Mat to find Harriet after the goodbyes that night. "Harry - can I talk to you for a second?" The voice caught her off guard, causing the blonde to turn around in her dressing room. "Um, yeah. Yeah, what's up?" she asked, dropping her arms from where she'd had them, ready to change. Matt leaned against the wall, watching the flustered woman move around and trying to busy herself. "What's going on with you?" The blonde shrugged, a soft chuckle leaving her lips. "Harry - I'm not stupid. I know you've been ignoring me. Are you okay?" he asked again. "Yes, are you that insecure about this? You do it all the time to me, why is it any different when I do it to you?" Matt looked slightly surprised to hear those words. "Harry, I -" Matt started to say. "You think I've been seeing Luke again? Why would that matter?" the hormonal woman snapped. "I - " Matt tried to continue. Harriet stood, cutting him off again. "Why is it okay for you to screw me and go around like it never happened? Do you know what that does to my head, how that makes me feel?" The outburst surprised Matt and somehow aggravated him at the same time.

"How am I supposed to know, Harriet? Why don't you try communicating something like an adult?"

"Communicate like an adult? You're the child here, Matthew!"

"I'm the child? I'd rather be a child than a pompous ass!"

"A pompous ass? Why are you so cruel? I hate you sometimes!"

"You think I don't know that? What's your deal, Harriet? Are you sick or something? God forbid I care about your well-being. What would this show be without you? How about you shut up and actually be up-front with me?"

"You want me to be up front? I'll give you up front, Matthew!"

Harriet moved to the vanity before stopping herself. She bit down on her lip and squeezed her eyes shut in a dire attempt to keep herself from crying. The silence formed a pit in Matt's stomach, one that he felt guilty over. "Harry, I'm sorry. I - didn't mean to get so worked up. I'm just worried, okay? Danny seems to think that you're sick or something," Matt trailed off. "Danny?" Harriet asked, covering her mouth. She felt her pre-show snack coming back up and quickly grabbed her trash can, retching in it just in time. "God, Harry," Matt said, hating seeing her like that. He reached over, rubbing a hand down her back. "I'm scared, really - what's going on?" The thought of knowing she couldn't get out of telling Matt terrified her. "Okay," the blonde finally responded. "Okay, I -" she paused, needing a moment to catch her breath. Harriet took a seat and rubbed her eye momentarily. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and ears. "I, I'm so nervous," the woman finally spoke. She moved a hand to her chest, hoping she could calm down her body's reaction to the anxiety. "There's something I need to tell you," she said, swallowing hard. Harriet felt Matt's eyes burning her as he watched. "So," she started, looking down at her hands."I found out that I'm pregnant or at least - I'm pretty sure that I am" Matt sat as still as stone. He wanted to ask, but he couldn't - could he? Somehow Harriet had read his mind. "Yes," she confirmed. "Yes, yours." The tears glistened in Harriet's eyes. The man she loved sat across from her and as soon as Harriet started fiercely biting her lip again, he got up and sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. The blonde buried her face against his shoulder, finally letting out the tears she'd cried alone. "How are you feeling? Where did you go? How many - how much?" Matt tried to ask, his eyes moving to Harriet's middle. "I don't know," she breathed. "I haven't seen a doctor." Matt moved away enough to give Harriet a look that he very well knew that she hated. "What do you mean you haven't seen a doctor?" he demanded. "I was scared, I -" she started to explain. "You know what's scarier than going to an OBGYN? Dying because you got the right care too late. How could you be so senseless, Harriet?" he asked. "Matt, I didn't want to go alone."

"You know Jordan would've gone with you."

"I know that, but -"

"But what?"

"I wanted you."

This time Matt bit his lip, knowing what Harriet meant. "I'm sorry - I, you know I'll be here every step of the way." Matt squeezed Harriet's hand - and for the first time in a long time, she finally had a feeling that Matt Albie would keep his word.


End file.
